A Forest Park serial burglar suspected in eight burglaries in Fayette County and dubbed the “Pillowcase Bandit” was arrested Nov. 18 along with his “fence” who received a portion of the stolen property.
Terry Jamaal Anderson, 31, was arrested at his Forest Park home and charged with eight Fayette County burglaries that occurred in September and October, said Sheriff Barry Babb.
Sheriff’s investigator’s subsequently arrested 51-year-old Randall Hill, of Roswell, on charges of theft by receiving stolen property, Babb said.
“During the months of September and October, Fayette County experienced a spike in residential burglaries,” Babb said. “The burglaries were believed to be connected by a similar modus operandi where the perpetrator was taking a pillow case from the homeowner’s beds and using it to carry items from the homes. Sheriff’s detectives dubbed the perpetrator the ‘Pillowcase Bandit’ and were actively seeking clues to help identify the man.”
Babb said investigators in October obtained an important lead when a Fayette County homeowner observed a suspicious person and vehicle in the North Ridge neighborhood. Detectives used this information along with other eye witnesses statements, video surveillance footage and historical LPR (license plate recognition) technology to identify a suspect, said Babb.
“Fayette County investigators began sharing information and leads with detectives in other counties which have been experiencing similar crimes. The shared information led us to focus on a single suspect,” said Babb. “Anderson is believed to be connected to other burglaries in Fayette, Coweta, Henry, Clayton and Cobb counties.”
During the course of the investigation, detectives also learned that Hill was an accomplice to some of the crimes, Babb said, adding that Hill acted as the fence for some of Anderson’s stolen jewelry. Hill was arrested in a Fayette County sting operation on Nov. 21, Babb said.
“We knew we had a serial burglar we dubbed the Pillowcase Bandit. Even with all our resources at work, one eyewitness gave us the edge to crack this case. We can’t stress enough that our community is the best partner we can have and not to hesitate to call us if something is suspicious,” Babb said.
Though investigators may not be able to charge Anderson in all the burglaries he is believed to have committed, Babb said his office will have rock solid cases on the charges they can make. Babb said investigators are still working to connect Anderson to other burglaries.
“We especially want to thank the Henry County Police Dept. that worked with us in the final takedown and sharing in the investigation. The icing on the cake was using our suspect to set up his fence from Fulton County and taking him down with a solid case and putting him out of business. I can’t brag enough on the men and women of the sheriff’s office that stepped up to catch these perpetrators. Everyone got into the hunt for the Pillowcase Bandit,” said Babb.
